Thirty-five SARS-CoV-2 isolates are now available in the BEI Resources catalog. The collection includes isolates classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest, originating from the United States and internationally (Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Singapore).^1,2 Available and upcoming isolates represent lineages B.1.617.1, B.1.617.2, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, P.2, B.1.5, B.1.1.298, B.1.222, B.1.427, B.1.526, B.1.529, B.1.617, R.1 and C.37 (formerly B.1.1.1).

SARS-CoV-2 isolates are produced in vitro by infection of Cercopithecus aethiops kidney epithelial (Vero) cells or Homo sapiens lung adenocarcinoma (Calu-3; ATCC^® HTB-55™) cells with the deposited material and are provided frozen as spin-clarified cell lysate and supernatant. Virus propagation in Calu-3 cells have shown that the virus stocks are less prone to tissue culture adaptive changes. All SARS-CoV-2 variants have been analyzed by Next Generation Sequencing with respect to both the SARS-CoV-2, Wuhan-Hu-1 strain reference sequence and the original reference sequence for that isolate to confirm signature mutations. Certificates of Analysis for each stock produced include observed sequence variations noted in the Appendix section and detailed lot-specific data such as passage history and titer of each item lot.

BEI Resources will continue to make available variants as they emerge, with the intent to have a good representation of each variant. Requests are fast-tracked and prioritized, with an anticipated turnaround window of 12-to-72 hours for new SARS-CoV-2 registrations and 24-to-48 hours for shipments of new orders. For more information on the ordering process and how to register, please refer to our Frequently Answered Questions or contact Customer Care at contact@beiresources.org.

An up-to-date listing of all currently available and upcoming SARS-CoV-2 isolates, genomic RNA, monoclonal antibodies, plasmids, proteins, peptide arrays and inactivated virus preparations is available on the SARS-CoV-2 resource page on the BEI Resources website.

References:

1. “SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/variant-surveillance/variant-info.html.
2. "SARS-CoV-2 (hCoV-19) Mutation Reports." Outbreak.info, https://outbreak.info/situation-reports.

Image:  Scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (NIAID/CC BY 2.0)